Right at the buzzer of the 2024 NHL trade deadline, the Vegas Golden Knights were able to pull off one more stunner. The Golden Knights have added another legitimate star to their lineup by acquiring Tomas Hertl and a pair of third-round picks from the San Jose Sharks.
It took some maneuvering to get Hertl onto the Vegas roster, but as usual, the Golden Knights found a way to make it happen. The Sharks retained 17% of Hertl's salary while also sending a 2025 third-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick to Vegas. In return, they received a 2025 first-round pick and center David Edstrom from the Golden Knights.
Hertl still has six years left on his current contract, and Vegas is on the hook for $6.75 million per season. That will force some salary cap decisions from the Golden Knights, but they can worry about that in the summer.
Hertl, 30, has a long track record of being a great playmaker in the NHL. He has 218 goals and 266 assists in 712 NHL games, and Hertl topped the 60-point mark in the last two seasons. This year, on a roster depleted by a rebuilding process, Hertl has still managed to contribute 15 goals and 19 assists in 34 games.
While Hertl is on the shelf with a knee injury right now, he is expected to return prior to the end of the regular season so that he can get acclimated with his new teammates.
This move by Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon completes a series of tidal-wave sized splashes in the days leading up to the deadline. Those began with the Golden Knights acquiring Anthony Mantha on Tuesday and continued with them adding defenseman Noah Hanifin roughly a day later.
With this trade, Sharks general manager Mike Grier was able to get out from under a big contract while also recouping a first-round pick and receiving a young prospect in David Edstrom, who was the No. 32 overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. That gives San Jose cap flexibility and some building blocks for the future.
